The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-12
THE HUNT BOLT.
A Response TO Inquiries as to Gov.
Nichols Connection with 1t.
The Attempt to Disfranchise Seven
Thousand Democrats in the
Interest OF a BOlters
New Orleans Stntea

ID 1S UFue luab COV. NICHOLS mace speeches
in favor of the Hunt bolt in 1884" Our
correspondents say that the fact is denied,
but that If it is true, man persons in that
of the State who have favored Gen.
Nichols will support Gov. McEnery.
In reply to our Flournoy correspondents,
of whom we recognize rs old friends,
state positively that Gen. Nichols did
make speeches in favor of the Hunt bolt, and
that he gave all his influence to aid that
unjustifiable and indefensible revolt
against the regular Democratic party at a
when the election of a President was
supposed to hang upon even one State, and
that that revolt threatened the success of the
Democratic party in Louisiana. It is need
less for us to rummage over old newspaper
files for the reports of Gen. Nichols speeches
in favor of the Hunt bolt which our friends
ask us to send. them, or to defy the ex-Goy-
deny the fact that he made speeches in favor
of the bolt, since he and his spokesman,
Judge White, have themselves admitted that
he not only did 80, but used all his great per-
sonaI influence to defeat Col. st. Martin, the
nominee of the regular convention, and as
true. stainless and unfinehing a Democrat
as ever trod the soil of Louisiana.
But though We cannot comply with the re-
them reports Of Ger. Nichols speeches in
favor of the Hunt bolt, we reproduce, in an
other column Il this mornings States. an
editorial printed i'll his special organ, the
PicGgulte, on che morning OF Oct. %, 1884,
headed, Gen. Nichols to the Front by
Which our friends will see that Gen. Nichols
was not only a conspicuous orator and
worker in the Hunt bolt, but that he was
also, at the very time that the presidential
ELECTION Ia was p4ndilng: a H1Gien 1tretio0 We
press upon the attention Of our friends at
FlSdrnoy and elsewhere throughout the
State the editorial referred to.
1mmediateb1 after Coy: noh a.
Picagatne, had appealed to the Democracy to
bolt that nomination and vote for his Radical
opponent, Stevenson: and at the time OF the
appearance of the editorial we to-day repro
duce and of the speech Of Nichols to which
it refers, the Pjcdg2He, Nichols, and the
great body of the reformers, We're engaged
IN an organized and determined effort, aided
and abetted by H. c. Yarmouth, the negro
Radical chief, Jim Lewis, United States Su-
pervisor Norton, and the whole Radical Gus
tOmhouse gang, to defeat the election OF the
regular nominee of the Democratic conyen-
ton of the First District.
SThis is a fact. We defy any living man 10
deny a single word of it. If our friends at
Flournoy or anywhere else III Louisiana
doubt it, we recommend them to submit TINS
article to Gen. Nichols himself and challenge
him to answer, categorlcally, whether IL Is
true, word for word, or not. He cannot, he
Will not, deny that every Word OF what we
say is absolutely true.
The States has time and again exposed the
character of the.Hunt movement IN 1884 and
Gen. Nichols connection Herewith: But
there is one, the last phase OF 1t, winch we
have never exposed in all its atroclty, from e
Democratic standpoint: and that ls-the at
tempt OF the readers OF that movement, the
leaders Of the then so-called Reform Democ,
racy, the chief captains OF the present re,
formers or Nichollsites, 10 disfranchise 1000
Cleveland and ST. Martin voters in the tlrst
District by invoking the aid OF the infamous
Federal election lag.
The refortners of 1854, and their orgal
which holted, and advised everybody else K
bolt, the nomination of Gov. MeEnery IL
1883, like the reformers of 1887, ASSUMED
at the outset thai the people were with them,
But, as their canvass progressed, they dis
covered their mistake: and, IN the deapefa
ton OF their disappointment Il bitterness,
they broke through all Democratic bounds
and resorted to the very worst of those tactlcl
that had rendered RadicaliBm III Louisiana st
odious. They had but one hope OF success
ajsd that ecsS to disfIulschfSf their ytettotr gen
ocrats. The Federal election law otFTet
them the means OF doing this. =,
This so-cailed law was one OF those 'fru1it
of foul rebellion, y that Thad. Stevens. carl
after the war, declared we should cat. l
WAS. along with calpet-baggery, ,negro-sut
frage and sc~aELawaggery, part OF the cargo
recODstruction-tlat ''Dertidious bark bull
in the eclipse and rugged with curses dark,
sent among Us in the darkest era Oh our his
tory, by u ~conquerors i'll their most mallg
nant mood. This iLiiquitOus statute was &c
nounced by every Democrat III the Union
by every Democrat i'll Congress, by the onl
two Democratic members OF the Slprem
Court Of the United States. by, every DEM.
cratic newspaper in the broad limits OF TIN
republic, ercept the then organ Of tie Tef0j5
Democrats, Or the Tef0Tn2e1S aid Gen. Mo-
oils t0-dau-He Ne7C Orleans PtcGg2tnc.
In 1854 the Plcag7tne declared that til
statute was not only the law, but that it W.
Democrats of the First District demanded i
invocation. And, as we have said, the leat
ers OF the Hunt bolt or the reform Demo'
racy did invoeate it: BY precisely the san
means that the Htadicsla under the same ia
singled out those Democrats they desired,
disfranchise, these reform leaders single
ont 1000 Democrats in the First Dlstrl'
whom they desired to d~isfranch!se, an
called upon the Federal authorities TO ord
the State Supervisor Of Registration to strlt
their names off the registration list. Ii ii
attempt to enforce this ~1njquItous order u
Federal authorities q number OF tones 8
rested the supervisor OF the sovereign Sta
Of Louisiana, who refused to obey she orde
Finally the reform leaders appealed to Il
Federal Court to enforce ta1lr denalf
: made through Federal deputy marshaIs al
the Federal supervisor.
The leaders Of tine Democracy represents
BIZ Senator J. +. Eustis, aided by Elf. Lar
ODonnell, resisted the contamination
this outrage. lii his speech, Mr. Eustls sa
to Don A. Pardee, Inc Federal judge, that
he dared to give his judicial sanction to
monsSrous an outrage upon the rights
I American citizens as was contemplated
: the demand of the fefornlere, he would WI
, his name upon d higher and blacker plnnac
: of infamy than had even the disgraced al
scoTned Durell.
1t is needless to say that even Judge Pa
!, dee, . bitter Radical, and an old-fash1on,
!, partisan judge, found the demand, OF !
| leaders Of the Hunt bolt too scandalous 1
! him to countenance: and he. the lsadlcs
partisan, Federal judge, squelched the wht
thing.
We aerya ana 4ltan 70 deng q single stateRat
!, sce hare made. We DEFY the New ,Qrlea
PicaytAe to deny that it Endorsed this pl
/ ceeding cordially and openly; that it {
u clared The Federal election law to be Il w
aud Just statute, and held that the DemS
Z racy of Louisiana demanded its 1nYoeatic
:, We challenge any reformer tSD-day to &c
that this measure was taken III 1854 Dy I
1 supporters OF Mr. HUNT.
: We do not know that Gov. Nichols was
q party to the Transaction, but we do I'm
. That he was q supporter of the Hunt mo
! ment; and we do hnOw that hls voice, thou
lie WAS On the hastings IN the First Distri
! and though he was in the councils OF
y reform Democrats, wEs never lifted IN p
+ test against this attempted. outrage; we +
= ther know that nowhere Is he on record
; opposing or condenining this outrage. Z
% word from him would have stopped any 81
= proceeding. He never spoke that word, i
- II vas left-to Senator Eustis 10 defend
y Democracy of Louisianasagains the conte
/ plated outrage, and to a Federal. radio
: partisan Judge 10 s4uelch the attempt
Gen. Nichols supporters to disfranchi
!, under one of the most iaiqu!toHs statutes
!. Reconstruction Legislation, 1000 penocrs
!, voters in one congressional SlstrIet.
= What have our EFiournoy friends to BAY
y thisY And we challenge any living NAL
~ deny a single word of it.
- Gov. Nichols 10 the Front.
" Picayune, Oct. q. 1854.
Gen. Nichols appeared upon the platfc
at the third ward meeting OF the left
democracy last night, and has made SUE
sneech as might have been expected from
Hero aud patriot. No man in Louisiana
aesses to such 4 degree the esteem and
fdence of The people, and, while ne does